


sweetheart

by azurill



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Modern AU, dina is a spoiled gf, ready to give you cavities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 10:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurill/pseuds/azurill
Summary: Ellie bakes her girlfriend a cake.





	sweetheart

Dina was not supposed to come home when the kitchen was a whole new level of messy but there she is, throwing her keys on a glass vase, clothes dripping water all over the floor as she slips off her muddy shoes. No amount of convincing or weather forecasts are enough for Dina bring an umbrella with her – her compelling argument being that it’s just going to be dead weight on her bag, already filled over its capacity.

"I'm home," Dina says as if it wasn't obvious already, the pleasant scent of rain crashing down like a wave when she wraps her arms around Ellie's waist. Her wind-chapped lips scratch the nape of Ellie's neck slightly. "Is that a _cake_?"

She doesn't voice an answer, the cake right in front of them being enough proof that she's right. "You're dripping all over the floor. Go change your clothes." 

"Damn, Ellie. The tower of dishes you made is impressive, an astronomical feat –" Ellie shoves her away with a precise movement of her shoulder when Dina reaches for the extra sponge near the sink. "Okay, okay. Change my clothes. Got it."

Dina presses a quick kiss to her cheek and is gone so fast that if it weren't for the little sounds she makes when she walks around the house, Ellie would think she was never there at all. She vaguely hears her girlfriend exclaiming at how organized their bedroom is, nothing like the way it was when she left that morning, and she allows herself to feel proud for a while. She's proud of many things, these days. Ellie pours tea (made with the chamomile they grow near their kitchen window – how stupid is that_, Ellie Williams_ growing plants near windows_) _on their mugs, extends both of them towards her girlfriend when she appears on the doorframe wearing one of Ellie's sweaters and her favorite pajama pants that look downright atrocious.

"Careful, it's hot."

"You're hot."

"I know. It's all about the oven gloves."

Dina thanks her with a kiss to her cheek before she plops on the couch, careful to not spill the liquid on the brand new couch they spent ages looking for. Ellie just concentrates on taking the damn cake out of the oven and cutting it into a nice-looking slice before she walks a straight line towards the table and sets the plate in front of an eager, absurdly adorable Dina. When her eyes light up, Ellie thinks it's all worth it – her aching hand, the sweat on her forehead, the mental gymnastics of making a recipe work – sure, she knows it's not going to be half as good as the stuff she makes or that she can buy on the street, but still. Dina uses the spoon to eat the outer corner of the cake, the part less likely to burn her tongue, and Ellie watches every expression flicking through her face.

"Is it, huh, good?"

"Yes," Dina says through a mouthful of lemon cake, offering a spoonful of it to Ellie. "Say 'ah'."

"I don't really like – don't look at me like that. it tastes different when you make it, okay?"

"That might be the most romantic thing you've ever told me."

"Debatable. I said you had rabies onc– hey," Dina stills the spoon near her mouth and Ellie tells her she _hates her so much, with a burning rage_, but the pronunciation is all off and all Dina does is laugh with that warm rumble of hers, her happiness so close and so tangible she can almost grap it in the air. Ellie just knows that she won't drop it no matter what, so she does the easiest thing and opens her mouth – and it turns out the cake doesn't taste_ that_ bad despite the overwhelming taste of lemon and sugar, although she can tell it's a little burnt underneath. 

Her girlfriend is prompt to take another bite of her cake, a little bit of frosting coloring the tip of her nose in white. "This is really good. Tastes like the stuff mom made when I was a kid."

"She kinda gave me the recipe."

"What? No way. You're lying."

"For real."

"She wouldn't give it to me and I'm her own flesh and blood."

"Guess she likes me better than you."

Ellie leans against her on the couch, the sound of the music channel running on the background. She forgot about it completely. Dina kisses the palm of her hand softly and she feels something so tender inside her chest that she thinks her heart is about to give out.

"Thank you," she says, choked up for some reason. "I really – really appreciate what you've done for me. What you _do_ for me, everyday."

There's a hint of the cherry chapstick she wears when Ellie kisses her and she savors all of it, her softness, her strength, how they're one and the same. In a demonstration of love, she says, "Don't let it get to your head. I don't like you that much, sweetheart."

**Author's Note:**

> yeah........ feeling extremely soft™ right now


End file.
